The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-07-03
TIE BELL IN THE CANON
An Uncnnny Sound that Drove n Miner
Away from His Rich Find.

| There Ia nothing that skaters courage,
| chills the heart, and paralyzes tho nerves as
surely as some inexplicable sound The brain
that conceived "the wandering voice" struck
the keynote OF terror. The story OF John
Whichers bell is case in point.
Tho Whichers were family of strong COM
mon sense and indomitable animal courage.
One Of the sons was Pinkerton detective. and
years ago went into Jackson county Missouri.
to hunt down tho James gang. He was cap
tured by them, tied to a tree and shot to death
because he stubbornly refused to turn in
Of Indians IN Arizona and died p at the sta ssaEe
back in 50 was foreman 81 the lsadp,s 't Gr %
tcle. He was fine, manly fellow straight as q
string SIX fee. high and after While h took
h S was al alone a Carrying lis pick SHOVEL and
derlng took him finally, into . little canon
where he found q promising "outcropping,"
a4a wss paee in
that formed tho BOSOM Of the canon nth" the
ops merssi cue sRy Twill
rocky and granite;strewn activity no living
very BIRDS never new across the plaee and ut It
the wind . had no voice. This dreadful and nn-
pressed itself upon whicher. Particularly at
night time. when the stars, glittering and
crowded tho SKY, is would sit in front OF his
cabin. and the silence would grow so vast and
profound that the beating q his own heart
was not an imaginative man, but gradually an
awe Of this solitude grew upon him. And grad
feeling crept In The ock-ribbed gorge began
to assume certain familiarity. as though he
t. na he eoud
shake of subtle impression that he was
about to hear, or SEQ something that would
make this recollection plain.
There was no human being within 200 miles.
and several times ne was on the point OF aban-
ern camps But seforEe he could maKe up his
he struck snr Z, an
seemed to have been melted at one time
enough emo Of miner 10 know that i Il woudns
worked with feverish haste, uneoverng the
ne was in the bottom OF HIS shallow, shaft
when no suddenly became aware that he was
nnconscousy istening to he aid d. not S know neS
but the thought flashed upon him that there
s spo 81 s1 IT, R he e S hear T'HA q
and ar yet yet perfectly plain. 1t sounded like
hGhs soS Gn Of o as se' m and an soa
could not tell exactly from what direction It
came. III btomeu now nOrtn now south. ana
now somewhere above him, tollng slowly,
slowly, and so faint that after each pusatOn
he was sure he fanoied until no heard the next
While he stood there tho tolling ceased.
The excitement OF the mine hud passed away
from him like n fever from sick man. A sort
Of inertia ,crept oyer him, and no dropped his
about tho bell. AS yet ne was not afraid. but
when that night after dark no heard he slow
rhythmic toiiing once more. he felt M Icy Green
Ing in his scalp and turned sick with dread.
He was afraid OF himself. AFRAID OF tho awful
solitude, and afraid to be- alone with that spec
trial sound He knew II could be no bell, know
that 1t must be an hailuclnatiOn, yet before II
stopped he wont nearly mad.
The neNt time he heard 1t was In the after
noon. lie stared about him, and the old sense
OF familiarity returned tenfold. Tho granite
gorge seemed trimming with some horrible
secret II was about tolell, He feared to look
behind him. and some awful presence appear
ed to Turk in the very air. Still the bell kept
tolling, Before II ceased Whicher was flying
out OF the canon. haggard. mutteripg to him
self and elappiDg his hands to his ears. He
made his way to GunnisOn City, starting up ut
night TO hurry on. and pushing over the almost
impenetrabe country Mt such a speed that
when he reached his destination he was broken
down, IL wreck, and sick for weeks. He often
talks Of the silent canon and tho ledge OF gold
and says that he will so back some day, bnt
not alone, But when he speaks conildentjally
OF II no admits that a GOLD horror seiaes hold Of
him At the bare thought OF revisiting tho spot
The story OF the mine was verified by pieces OF
the quartz that be brought back. and IuAny
have searched for IT uhsueeesAlelX staea.i u ~